16 Denver Broncos head coach options with Vic Fangio out
7. Jonathan Gannon, Philadelphia Eagles DC
Jonathan Gannon is another fascinating candidate for the head coaching gig as a former scout, something George Paton can relate with, and another candidate who has ties to Paton from having worked with the Vikings.
Although prior working experience with Paton is not a requirement, some of the candidates that have worked with him certainly stand out a little bit.
Gannon was with the Vikings from 2014-17, so it wasn’t like his time in Minnesota was just a blip on the radar, either.
Frankly, hiring Gannon would be going out on a serious limb at least based on what we know of him.
Although he has an impressive resume for a younger head coach candidate in terms of how long he’s worked in the NFL and the roles he’s held, Gannon seems like he could be this year’s version of what Vance Joseph was in 2017.
I mean that in the best way possible, don’t get it twisted.
The Broncos liked Vance Joseph a couple of years before they ended up actually hiring him. They liked his leadership qualities but at the time the Broncos hired him, Joseph hadn’t really done anything notable in the NFL as a top coordinator.
Likewise, the Eagles were middle-of-the-pack this year under Gannon in terms of scoring defense. Of course, the Broncos would not hire him or not hire him just based on one year of scoring defense statistics. It would just be nice if there were something else for Gannon to be able to hang his hat on.
Still, what had Sean McVay really done before he got hired by the Rams? If a guy blows you away in the interview process, you’ve got to make the move to get him.
Also, this seems notable now that the Eagles’ season has ended with a playoff berth:
Jonathan Gannon and the #Eagles defense are No. 1 in the NFC in points allowed since Week 8
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) December 27, 2021
Maybe we shouldn’t be sleeping on the 39-year-old Eagles DC…